Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Hartlepool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties, including children who are at risk of, or vulnerable to, child sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is newly registered, and this is the first inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and nurturing environment. It is well presented, and maintained to a high standard. Children have their own personalised bedrooms. At the time of the inspection, the children were encouraged to take part in decorating the house for Halloween.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who have a clear understanding of their individual plans and talk knowledgably about the progress that they are making. The staff show a genuine commitment to providing a caring and nurturing home. Consequently, children feel valued and have a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to access health services. Children are up to date with their routine health appointments. Staff educate the children about good health, and they support the children to make informed decision about their health. This has helped children to make positive changes, such as stopping their use of nicotine products.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage positively in their education, and they make good progress. Staff encourage the children to attend education using praise and incentives. The manager and the staff contribute well to the children’s education plans. One social worker said, ‘[The child] is doing amazing and she is now in full-time education, which is an exceptional achievement.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to take part in activities, such as rugby, dance, and ice- skating. This gives them the opportunity to explore and develop their talents and interests, which has a positive impact on their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have regular individual time with the staff, including the manager, to express their wishes and feelings. Children feel comfortable and relaxed in the home. Focused key-work sessions provide children with the opportunity to talk about the things that are important to them. The manager and the staff ensure that children’s wishes are listened to and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the children to spend time with family and friends. Family members spoke of the positive communication with staff and their commitment to help the children to spend time with their family. This helps the children to maintain positive relationships with the people who are important to them.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know the children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. Children have comprehensive individual risk management and behaviour support plans. These are Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 3 regularly reviewed and updated following any incidents. The children are encouraged to contribute to their own support plans. This helps the children to understand their own risks, and work with the staff to reduce concerns.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children go missing from the home, staff report this in line with procedure. There is a strong and proactive response to ensure that children return to the home safely. Staff actively search for children when they go missing, to try to return them home as quickly as possible. When children return to the home, staff encourage them to engage in independent return-home interviews. This helps to inform the response to incidents and reduce the times that children are missing from home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff carry out regular key-working sessions related to the children’s individual risks and behaviours. Discussions cover a variety of topics, including how children relate to their peers. As a result, children show empathy for each other and get along well.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff support children to manage their feelings and behaviours more appropriately by using praise and rewards. However, staff will sometimes hold children as a last resort to prevent them from hurting themselves or others. The recording of these incidents is clear, and the manager has oversight of each hold. This helps to ensure that the use of restrictive practice is safe, necessary and proportionate.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager and the staff know what they must do if allegations are made. Staff will report allegations in line with their policy, and the manager takes appropriate action to investigate all incidents. Children who make allegations are well supported and their concerns are listened to. This helps to ensure that children are safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that she monitors the risks to children and reviews the quality of care they receive. She has good oversight of the progress that children make. The manager ensures that there is independent scrutiny of the home from an independent visitor, and actions are taken to address any recommendations made following a visit. This has helped the manager to gain a better insight into the strengths and areas required to develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home specialises in supporting children who are at risk of exploitation. The staff are enthusiastic about developing their skills and knowledge in relation to this issue. Staff participate in training with an internal specialist to help them to understand the risks to children in their care. The therapeutic approach of the staff team ensures that the children receive care that is responsive to their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings. The manager brings research and internal briefings to the team meetings for discussion. This creates a learning environment for staff, which helps them to develop their practice. As a result, the staff are better equipped with up-to-date knowledge and information on how best to support the children and young people in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 4 The supervision of staff is regular and reflective. This allows time for staff to reflect on their individual practice and the impact that this has on the children. It is also an opportunity for the manager to address any concerns or shortfalls in practice standards. Staff say that they feel valued and supported by the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 5

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under The Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Witherslack Group, Lupton Tower, Lupton, Carnforth LA6 2PR

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Inspector

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 7 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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